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Arcanville Studies in Magic
The basic lesson of magic taught in Arcanville are roughly structured as follows. It takes 6 years to become a wizard Year One FOR THE FIRST MONTH they go over the basic principles of what magic is: All things that happen in the world are governed by the actions of the stars As well as move, stars vibrate, generate sounds and send off certain energies When a wizard casts a spell he attempts to imitate the actions of the stars on a small scale, thus effecting the world on a small scale EXAMPLE When winter arrives the stars will often effect where the worst of the cold hits. By imitating and modifying these effects one can project a this sliver of freezing air enough to freeze a flower (Master shows this) with flourish and pose and the slightest of words in an unknown language. The process cannot be imitated by simply copying these actions – though they may be identified if observed Wizards of thousands of years had written down millions of these combinations and they have spread far across and under the world – these are called spells but are far more than simple instructions Every single star has a name, or more precisely a sound that wizards of generations long ago have discovered through unique methods of observations The ‘names’ of the relevant stars are incited when a spell is cast, and then this is combined with actions that guide the power of these stars to the desired effect These names and movements have been translated into a unique and complex language that can vary from writer to writer but always uses the basic principles and thus can eventually be understood by any wizard from any warp of life from any part of the world The naming and movement of the stars are known as the verbal and somatic components of a spell The incitation of any spell can in reality anything from 15 minutes to an hour depending on the complexity of the spell TASK they has to spend the next several months memorizing and being tested on the name of every star and then their combination name – the names they produce when combined with other stars into a symbol they then has to master the acts of movement, almost always only governed by the fingers, hands and arms of the casters BENEFIT = 1 rank in Spellcraft The more they does this the more they dreams the names and gets headaches and sunspots in her eyes for no apparent reason End of Year Examine A FEW MONTHS OF TIRED SLOGGING AND SLAVE DRIVEN MEMORIZING they are TESTED Given a page of the complex script they must speak out and act the verbal and somatic components of the ‘ray of frost’ spell. This requires x3 Spellcraft checks DC20 in a row Every time they gets a roll right they gains 1 point of her +3 class bonus (no higher than +3) When is complete they must feel the energy shudder through her and aim the ray and the motionless flower (ranged touch attach DC8) IF they FAILS THE LAST ROLL they needs to make a Wisdom DC5 check or have the spell go awry (freezes her own hand for 1d3 cold dmg OR just blows up in a cloud in her hand OR just whimpers out before her not reaching her target, depending on how low the roll was) WHEN they SUCCEEDS they gets an almost orgasmic feeling like the greatest sneeze they has ever had quickly followed by a drained tired and dizzy feeling The Master explains how it can travel over a distance of 30ft in time, and though this spell requires her to aim others simply chose their target by her simply thinking or seeing NEXT LESSONS they may have noticed that when he cast the spell it took him but a fraction of a second where it took her significantly longer, also making it next to useless in a combat situation. This is because a spell exists in more than the words and actions but actually within the perfectly written scripture they sees on the pages, trapped in a pattern written – it vibrates with energy This needs to be unleatheyd through a receptacle – this can be an item but most commonly it is a person, a magic user When they cast the spell they felt the energy pass and build up in her (not a cold feeling) as well as a tingle in back of her brain that made her little hairs stand up. Then as they completed the spell it passed through her brain and out her body as directed by the somatic components When it as in her brain it was in a little known organ often known as he Thaumic Gland. Most people have it, it is unused and dormant predominantly, but there are rare exceptions when it naturally awoken (change this) namely in certain creatures, but usually it must be awoken though exercise, and that is done by the memorization of stars and there names (this is the reason for her dreams, hearing sounds and lights in her eyes, this will fade over time) It is within this gland that a spell not only passes but also can be stored for later use When Master invoked (or cast) that spell he had already ready it form the book earlier that day, and then all he had to do is not complete the final actions of the spell, simply doing that when he wanted to use it. It is in these final actions that one can choose the specific parameters of the spell, such as range, target or innumerable other things depending on the limits of the spell The more one exercises the Thaumic Gland the larger it gets and thus the more spells one can store in it. It is also exercised though the act of casting and memorizing these spells, as a warrior improves his sword arm through fighting TASK Now they will be asked to memorize or prepare the spell and hold it in her brain for as long as they can. With her months of practice it now only requires 1 Spellcraft check to prepare Once it is in they can feel it and needs only to remember the final actions of the spell to cast it. they are told a wizard can hold this spell in ones mind theoretically indefinitely, even sleep or pass out, but usually when one dies they dissipate Once they has cast the spell Master asks her to try and memorize it again but they finds it too hard and the back of her brain hurts to much He tells her that once the gland has be used and exhausted it needs to regenerate or rest. Luckily the best method for this is simple sleep, but it must be a deep fitful sleep, or at least 8 hours on most occasions or they cannot memorize new spells. This need for rest is often seen as a wizards greatest weakness OVER THE END OF THE FIRST YEAR they spends her time going over and practicing what are known as the 0 level spells or Cantrips, each of these will given her a good grasp of all the fundamentals of magics. Here are some note worthy points: Resistance: this spell that lets the universe guide you from the harm of the world can be cast on oneself or another, and upon the completion of the spell stays charged in the casters hand to be released with a touch – accidental or intentional. THE OTHER noteworthy thing about this spell is that it quires another component. Some times certain facts are difficult to convey through the act of gestures alone, because you are in someway asking the universe to help you, or to act in a certain way that it might to already. For example there is a spell which can create an invisible and weightless suit of armour over the caster, but armour is not something that occurs naturally in the universe it is made by men, and so when casting this spell the caster need have a small piece of leather from a suit of armour, thus show to the universe the desired effect. This is true to a lesser extent with the resistance spell where a small cloak is needed to symbolise what a cloak does in the minds of humanity – protect. When this is done though the little cloak’s energy is drained and it crumbles to dust meaning that a new one will be needed every time the spell is cast, but it can be made of any cheap material as long as it is clear it represents a cloak Acid Splash: here the master shows with the incitation of a few different stars and slightly different somatic components the Ray of Frost can be modified to a ball of acid. Simple as it is though it cannot be done at the moment of casting and must be done in the very writing of the spell. Detect Magic: this is one of the most important and useful of the low level spells and they will spend weeks understanding the connotations of this one. First one must understand the basic concept of coexistent universes, that the world we live in is the material plane and it is made up of several other ‘invisible’ worlds that govern how this world works, the most important of them is the Loralac. When we say the ‘universe understands’ or ‘acts’ in a certain way we are really talking about the Loralac a field of calmed energy that tells things what they are, from a book to a flower, to a river to air and every living animal and persons physical form. When something is changed by unnatural (magical) means in the universe, from the way it looks to the way it functions it leaves an unseen mark on the Loralac, and it is this that can be seen by the caster of a Detect Magic spell. Altering the casters brain via the eyes it allows her to see a blurry illuminated mess in front of her if they concentrates. The longer they concentrates (about 2 or 3 seconds) they can make out more detail and distinguish the actual auras of the altered or magical things. Concentrating even further again they will be able to pin point not only every aura 60ft in front of her but see which is the strongest and with training even be able to identify exactly what the aura’s are doing to the universe by their unique behaviours, tints and shape. This takes practices as one can identify various different types of birds. Now they may be aware that certain items can be infused with magic, these items either hold a spell or similar effect in them that can be released by the user, sometimes even if they are not even trained, or they enhance the item in a way that makes it far better at what it does. How it does this is by explaining to the ‘universe’ or Loralac that it is what it is and thus the universe takes more notices – thus a magic sword is more likely to hit because the universe understands that it is a sword, and thus helps it be thus. The magical auras of spells and items leave their mark upon the Loralac for some time the stronger they are and can even be followed, but the constantly readjusting of your eyes slows this down Lastly they has been made aware that most the stars belong to one of eight groups or ‘schools’ that govern primal aspects of the universe such as foresight, emotion, creation or life to name a few. With practice as stated above they can learn to tell thee apart thus making it easier to identify the spell or magic in effect on an aura. Detect Poison: in a similar but far, far simpler method to a Detect Magic this can focus its attention to one object and see the unseen, in this case it has been made to recognise poisons. The visual effects vary depending on the type of poison and with practice you will be able to tell the type of poison on the thing examined. Daze: this is a spell that can be used directly on the mind of a subject, and as so has to deal with a varying factor of that persons mind thus not making it a guaranteed success. Most people get better at dealing with normal levels of confusion and that’s what this spell makes a persons mind do, albeit briefly. A basic nature of this spell means that any one of natural determination and focus will be unaffected, but those who are more green to the world still might fall to its charms. It’s also interesting to note that this items material component is more a symbolic one than physical, the wool being interwoven into the living conscious as a symbol of confusion Dancing Lights: This is one of the simplest malleable spells, the lights it creates are under the constant will of the caster for the next minute, and with a small amount of will can move as the caster witheys within the limit of the spell. What's good to note is that if at any time the caster forgets them the lights remains as left, connected by the invisible mental thread. If this ‘thread’ is stretched over its limit the spell ends. Also unlike some spells this spell can be ended with a reversal weaving of the spells components, while many others have to stay until the magic runs out. Flare: a simple spell some thing to be an accident creatures a sudden explosion of light wherever the caster witheys for what ever purpose they desires from attention seeking to temporarily stunning someone. The most interesting thing about this spell is it requires no verbal action to cast it. Light: a far more useful spell this causes an object touched to theyd the same light as a torch. Light being somewhat of an abstract concept it requires nature’s own light bringer to cast – a firefly. Other things have been used in the pass but this is the safest and easiest to carry around. Ray of Frost: her old friend it is good to know that creates a ray that needs to be fired form the caster Ghost Sounds: Another malleable spell upon casting, but not once cast beyond the stopping of it. One odd fact is that in part it relies on the listens belief it the sounds reality and though any sound though of can be made, how ‘real’ its sounds depends on how gullible they are Bleed: a nasty spell it sends a shock to a fading life aura of a living thing giving it the mildest poke towards death, again a strong willed person, even if unconscious mat resist this Distrupt Undead: the function of this spell works almost identically to the Ray of Frost spell except it calls upon stars from the Necromancy school to unravel the unlife energy that keeps things like zombies and vampires together, and thus hurts them Touch of Fatigue: the life energy in all living things can be just as interrupted by magic, and the force that fuels someone’s activity can be drained instantly as if they had just been running with all but your touch. It’s interesting to note that though the life force of living things can be altered with magic there are practically no ways beyond the powerfully abstract to generate it, that force is not governed by the Loralac and instead one of the other planes of nature, one under the control of the gods Mage Hand: a very basic and very useful spell, it imitates the actually physical force created by ones own hand but in a place where the hand is not. What it can do is far more limited than a real hand because it calls upon such a natural and instinctual force of the caster it has the ability to last as long as the caster concentrates opposed to the simple exhaustive force of the magic itself Mending: as previously stated all objects have a pattern – whether magical or not – in the Loralac. When an item is broken or damaged by any means it still has that pattern unseen in the Loralac and this spell simply tells the object to get back into the pattern it is supposed to be in, to a certain extent. Of course it cannot create new parts simply mould them back to where they should be so if parts are missing the spell has little effect. Also items that held a magical aura tend to lose that aura to the Loralac if broken too much and mending them will not restore that aura. Message: in the same way that the Mage Hand spell recreates the physical force of a hand without a hand actually being there, this spell creates the sounds from your talking without your mouth actually being there. As a side touch it can pick up replies and bring them to your ears. Obviously it creates an actually sound and could still be heard by a listener just as any whispered conversation could but it transcends distance The most interesting thing about this spell is the ingenious discovery of its material component, a piece of copper wire. It is not known why this works, for it has not symbolic connotations but it is so effective that it is not expired when it is used in the spell. Components like this are called Focuses and are usually carried on your person at all time. Wizards in the field of magical progress are always looking for new tricks like this, unravelling the secrets of the universe. Open/Close: as all common objects are known by their purposes in the universe this spell simply activates the number one function of any object that’s primary purpose is to open or close. As this is slightly out of the ordinary for nature it has a material component but luckily one that is not expended, in the form of a brass key for obvious reasons. Arcane Mark: it is common for a practicing wizard to have a mark of his own devising, the college of this land insists that is registered with them, but that is of little consequence now. One of the few spells that leaves a permanent mark on the Loralac (and the physical world is so desired) it can be tied in with other spells Prestigitation: thought to be one of the first spells this spell is the simplest combination of all magics, calling upon all and none of the schools to do anything the caster desires with the smallest of power. It is via this spell that they will come to the grips of many other spells and is recommended to practice with it regularly Read Magic: Now finally one of the most important and crucial spells they will have to learn, and learn like no other spell in her remit this spell takes all of her knowledge of the stars names and patterns and does the amazing feat of translating any magical script written by an unfamiliar wizard and permanently infusing its understanding into your head. Though it may seem to have been far easier to just learn this one spell instead of taking on the knowledge of an entire alien language, it as in that learning that her mind was made ready to take on spells. One reason this spell is so important is that a wizard must be taught how to memorize this spell from pure memory, so that when they are given the crystal prism of the focus of the spell they can always be able to translate foreign magic they may find AT THIS POINT THEY HAVE GAINED HALF OF A WIZARD LEVEL AS FOLLOWS: 2+Int Skill Points 1d6 Hit Points 3 0-level spells (not reusable yet) +2 Will save Any 1 first level spell of her choice (must roll to learn this as normal but can keep trying till she gets one) Mean while she is taught some very basic acts of magic. She is taught how to write her spells into a book of her own She is taught that a spell can be task in a ‘temporary’ paper form known as a scroll, infused with her own personal level of power, and that is she acquires scrolls of other peoples even ones of too greater power, as long as they are within her understanding (Int high enough) she may cast them freely, but with a risk of the scroll going awry On one bright full moon later that year (761) she is told about the power of the moon in summoning and that when there is no moon the world is cut off from the Great Beyond, a series of worlds more detached that the coexistent ones where demons and angels reside watching and judging It is also time she don’t herself to an item or creature during the familiar ritual. She is told it has been a most ancient tradition since the times when beings of other worlds taught humans mage for a wizard to bond her soul to another being. This used to be to sell it for the secrets of magic but over generations wizards have mastered ways to get equal benefit from lesser creatures, literally exchanging some of your soul with that of an animal, giving it some of your intelligence and and getting some of its instinct in return. If she still has Spindle and wants to use him she may (not knowing the full consequences of what she is asking for yet) and will receive the following benefits: +3 on Stealth Checks Alertness when he is within arms reach The ability to share spells And an empathic link within 1 mile Lastly she is taught in greater detail about the 8 schools and how she may want to dedicate herself to one specifically (see book for details of this) but if not she will be a universalist and gain near the end of her training a special ability to aid in mage duals (staff strike – see later, Lorald House Rule) THEY NOW GET 1 + Int spells to learn in her spell book Arcane Bond Scribe Scroll Arcane School